Srinagar: The Uri National Highway in Jammu and Kashmir will remain temporarily closed on October 4 and October 11 to facilitate hill-cutting work being carried out by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), officials said on Saturday.
An order issued by Uri Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Prince Kumar said permission had been granted for the temporary closure of the highway on the two Sundays to enable the hill-cutting work.
Highway closure dates announced
The decision was taken following a request from the Officer Commanding, 53 Road Construction Company (RCC) of the General Reserve Engineer Force (GREF), along with subsequent communications seeking temporary closure of the highway for the work.
The SDM has advised the general public, commuters and transport operators to use the Bandi–Paranpillan–Dachi route as an alternative during the closure.
Road to remain open during peak commuting hours
The order also states that no hill-cutting work will be carried out on government office working days between 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. and between 3:30 p.m. and 5 p.m.
During these specified hours, the executing agency has been directed to keep the road open for vehicular movement to ensure smooth passage for commuters.
The agency has also been instructed to take all necessary safety measures to protect commuters and other road users during the work.
BRO carrying out hill-cutting work
The order was issued on October 3 and forwarded to officials including Baramulla Deputy Commissioner Syeed Fakhrudin Hamid, Colonel K.D. Singhal of the 53 RCC at Mohura under BRO’s Project BEACON, and Uri Sub-Divisional Police Officer Tariq Ahmad Sofi.
The Uri National Highway is maintained by the BRO, whose personnel and machinery remain deployed around the clock to maintain the strategic road network in Jammu and Kashmir.
The BRO also maintains the strategic Srinagar-Leh and Srinagar-Jammu national highways in the Union Territory.